Amazon Echos are in almost every room of my home and those who talk to Alexa frequently, will understand just how powerful it is. The far-field microphones allow you to shout commands or questions across the room and have Alexa respond intelligently.
Imagine taking that priciple and extending it to the car. That’s exactly what Echo Auto does and Amazon have now announced it’s availability in Australia.
Designed for use on the road, Echo Auto lets you have Alexa as your driving companion, whether in your car, van or truck, for your daily commute or your weekend drive to visit family and friends.
With the average age of vehicles being 10+ years in Australia, the Echo Auto offers an inexpensive way to upgrade your car and benefit from a more modern experience with the power of voice.
Echo Auto gives Aussies the ability to take Alexa on the road with the following uses:
- Listen to an audiobook via Audible while you venture out to grab a coffee.
- Ask Alexa to play Today’s Hits.
- Ask Alexa to read you the news.
- Ask Alexa to read your grocery list to you or manage your calendar.
- Control your compatible smart home devices, using Alexa to announce to the family you’re nearly home, or turn off the lights if you’ve forgotten.
Cars can typically be noisy environments, so a custom-designed eight-microphone array has been designed to account for challenging in-car acoustics, enabling Alexa to hear utterances over music, aircon, and road noise.
Connected to the 12V power outlet in your car, or a USB port, Echo Auto connects to your radio system via Bluetooth, or for older vehicles, via the 3.5mm line in.
Echo Auto connects to Alexa through the Alexa app on your smartphone and uses your mobile data to access a range of Alexa features.
Echo Auto is available for pre-order from May 20th on amazon.com.au/echoauto for RRP $79.
Echo Auto will ship to customers from June 10 and will be available online and from leading retailers. For more information, customers can visit amazon.com.au/echoauto.
